Photo-induced anisotropy in ZnO/PVA nanocomposites prepared by modified electrochemical method in PMA matrix

Substantial photo-induced optical anisotropy was discovered in ZnO/PVA nanocomposites under the influence of external bicolor laser illumination. Zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by electrolysis of a sodium chloride aqueous medium including poly-methacrylic acid (PMA) in a cell system having a soluble zinc anode. The structural analysis of the ZnO powder samples has been carried out by X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) embedded ZnO films obtained from the powder samples possess larger grain sizes than those in powder form. The films were prepared from the same polymer matrix but elaborated with two different PVA contents which are respectively 15% and 30%. The photoinduced anisotropy was identified by using two bicolor Er: glass laser beams incident at different angles. Substantial influence of the technological processes on the embedded nanoparticle sizes and related birefringence was explored. The process of laser induced anisotropy shows an occurrence of birefringence saturation.     

Carbon nanotube-epoxy composites: The role of acid treatment in thermal and electrical conductivity

Wet acid oxidation treatment methods have been widely reported as an effective method to purify and oxidize the surface of industrial multi-walled carbon nanotubes. This work examines the use of a concentrated HNO₃/H₂SO₄ mixture in an attempt to optimize the purification procedure of industrial multi-walled carbon nanotubes with diameter distribution statistics. It is shown that acid treatments of several hours are enough to purify the nanotubes. The electrical and thermal conductivities of epoxy composites containing 0.05–0.25 wt% of an acid-treated multi-walled carbon nanotube have been studied. The electrical conductivity of the composites decreases by more than three orders, whereas the thermal conductivity of the same specimen increases very modestly as a function of the filler content.     

Preparation,characterization, and performance study of beeswax/expanded graphite composite as thermal storage material

In this study, beeswax as a new energy storage material and its composite with expanded graphite were prepared and characterized for their surface and thermal properties. Surface characterization showed no chemical interaction between beeswax and expanded graphite. The thermal conductivity of the composite was improved with 117% enhancement. The thermal performance of beeswax and its composite as a heat storage material was studied in a rectangular shell-and-tube thermal storage unit. The melting point of the composite remained almost same as that of beeswax; however, the melting time was reduced considerably, from 540 to 360 min with inlet water at 80°C and a 2-lpm flow rate.     

Effect of heat treatment on the mechanical and microstructural characterization of Mg-AZ91E/TiC composites

Mg-AZ91E/TiC_p composite was fabricated using a spontaneous infiltration technique at 950 °C under an argon atmosphere. The composites produced have 37 vol.% of metal matrix and 63 vol.% of TiC-like reinforcement. The obtained composites were subsequently solution heat-treated at 413 °C during 24 h, cold water quenched, and subsequently artificially aged at 168 and 216 °C during 16 h in an argon atmosphere. Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties was evaluated. Microstructural characterization was analyzed using different techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Interface between matrix and reinforcement was examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and mechanical properties were evaluated by measuring the elastic modulus and hardness. Mg, TiC, Al, and Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phases through XRD were detected. Meanwhile, using TEM analysis in heat-treated composites MgAl₂O₄, MgO, and Al₂O₃ were identified. The as-fabricated composite have elastic modulus and hardness of 162 GPa and 316 Hv, respectively. After solution heat treatment and aging at 168 °C during 12 h, the composites reaches values of 178 GPa and 362 Hv for the elastic modulus and hardness, respectively. Time of aging was correlated with measures of elastic modulus and hardness.     

Ultralow detection limit of giant magnetoresistance biosensor using Fe_3O_4–graphene composite nanoparticle label

A special Fe_3O_4nanoparticles–graphene(Fe_3O_4–GN) composite as a magnetic label was employed for biodetection using giant magnetoresistance(GMR) sensors with a Wheatstone bridge. The Fe_3O_4–GN composite exhibits a strong ferromagnetic behavior with the saturation magnetization M_S of approximately 48 emu/g, coercivity H_C of 200 Oe, and remanence M_r of 8.3 emu/g, leading to a large magnetic fringing field. However, the Fe_3O_4 nanoparticles do not aggregate together, which can be attributed to the pinning and separating effects of graphene sheet to the magnetic particles. The Fe_3O_4–GN composite is especially suitable for biodetection as a promising magnetic label since it combines two advantages of large fringing field and no aggregation. As a result, the concentration x dependence of voltage difference |?V| between detecting and reference sensors undergoes the relationship of |?V| = 240.5 lgx + 515.2 with an ultralow detection limit of 10 ng/mL(very close to the calculated limit of 7 ng/mL) and a wide detection range of 4 orders.     

SiC纤维增强Ti17合金复合材料轴向残余应力的拉曼光谱和X射线衍射法对比研究

准确测量和分析SiC纤维增强Ti合金复合材料(SiC_f/Ti)中残余应力状态对优化复合材料的成型工艺和理解其失效模式具有重要意义,但其残余应力的实验测量和分析仍是一个挑战.石墨C涂层作为SiC纤维与Ti17基体合金之间必需的扩散障涂层,承载了由纤维与基体之间热不匹配引入的残余应力.本文采用显微拉曼光谱法对比测量纤维表面C涂层在复合材料中和去掉基体无应力态下G峰的峰位,通过石墨C涂层应力态下峰位移动计算出SiCf/C/Ti17复合材料中SiC纤维受到～705.0 MPa的残余压应力.采用X射线衍射方法测量了不同方向上该复合材料中基体钛合金的晶面间距以获取其空间应变,根据三轴应力模型分析了复合材料中基体钛合金沿轴向方向的残余应力为～701.3 MPa的张应力,并通过线性弹性理论转化为SiC纤维的残余压应力为～759.4 MPa.两种测试方法都确定了SiC纤维在成型过程中受到残余压应力,且获得的应力值较为接近,都可以用于对SiC_f/Ti复合材料的残余应力测量.     

Mild synthesis of a Zn(II) metal organic polymer and its hybrid with activated carbon: Application as antibacterial agent and in water treatment by using sonochemistry: Optimization,kinetic and isotherm study

In this work, a room temperature and short method (30 min) for synthesis of nanosized rod-like metal organic polymer (MOP) has been described. Reaction of 1,4-phenylenedioxy diacetic acid with zinc salt leads to the formation of [Zn(C₁₀H₈O₆)(H₂O)₄]_n and subsequently was loaded on activated carbon following sonication and structurally characterized by FTIR, SEM, EDX and XRD analysis. The combination of this new composite with sonication was applied for rapid and efficient adsorption of Bromocresol Purple (BCP). Effects of initial BCP concentration, mass of adsorbent and sonication time on response were investigated and optimized by central composite design (CCD). Analysis of variation (ANOVA) was adapted to experimental data to find best optimum conditions which was set at 15.22 mg L⁻¹, 2.41 min, 0.02 g and 0.009 mg for initial BCP concentration, sonication time and adsorbent mass, respectively. Conduction of similar experiments at specified condition permit achievement of 98.69% removal percentage. 1,4-phenylenedioxy diacetic acid and Zn(NO3)₂.4H₂O which have applied for preparation of MOP are interesting antibacterial properties and accordingly MOP was screened in vitro for their antibacterial actively against Proteus vulgaris bacteria and experimental results reveal this MOP was able to inhibit growth of the tested bacteria. The experimental data were best fitted by pseudo-second order and Langmuir for kinetic model and the adsorption equilibrium isotherm, respectively.     

Electrospray-assisted fabrication of porous platinum-carbon composite thin layers for enhancing the electrochemical performance of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells

Membrane electrode assembly (MEA) in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have been fabricated using electrospray-assisted deposition of platinum-carbon composites on carbon-fiber-based paper substrate, because the technique is versatile, operated in atmospheric pressure, and easy to scale up for commercialization. In this study, we investigate the effects of electrospray-assisted platinum loadings from 0.1 to 0.5 mg cm⁻² on the electrochemical performance of PEMFCs. The PEMFCs with platinum loading of 0.3 mg cm⁻² generate the highest power density, which is ∼35% higher than that of PEMFCs fabricated by traditional brush-deposited catalyst layers. Relatively high platinum loading (>0.3 mg cm⁻²) enhances the pressure drop in MEA; therefore, the resulting power density is decreased due to low-reacting gas permeability. We also examine the effect of porous structures on the electrochemical performance of PEMFCs. Brij 58-based surfactant templates create micro- and nano-porous structures in the platinum-carbon composite thin layers via thermal removal. These porous structures in the platinum-carbon composite thin layers increase the reacting gas permeability and simultaneously lower the cell resistance, significantly enhancing the electrochemical performance of PEMFCs with porous structures.     

柔性ZnNi/Al-LDHs/碳纤维复合材料的制备及光-电催化特性

本文采用电化学方法,制备了一种便于回收和分离的柔性锌镍/铝层状双羟基/碳纤维(ZnNi/Al-LDHs/CFs) 复合材料. 采用X 射线衍射、红外光谱、场发射扫描电镜、电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱和电化学阻抗光谱技术表征了ZnNi/Al-LDHs/CFs 复合材料的结构、形貌和光电催化性能. 与单独使用Zn/Al-LDHs/CFs 作为光催化剂或Ni/Al-LDHs/CFs 作为电催化剂相比较,ZnNi/Al-LDHs/CFs 复合材料显示了良好的光-电双功能催化特性,既可被用作乙醇和甲醇氧化的电催化剂,也可光电协同催化 2,6-二氯苯酚降解.     

Experimental study and electromechanical model analysis of the nonlinear deformation behavior of IPMC actuators

This paper develops analytical electromechanical formulas to predict the mechanical deformation of ionic polymer–metal composite(IPMC) cantilever actuators under DC excitation voltages. In this research, IPMC samples with Pt and Ag electrodes were manufactured, and the large nonlinear deformation and the effect of curvature on surface electrode resistance of the IPMC samples were investigated experimentally and theoretically. A distributed electrical model was modified for calculating the distribution of voltage along the bending actuator. Then an irreversible thermodynamic model that could predict the curvature of a unit part of an IPMC actuator is combined with the electrical model so that an analytical electromechanical model is developed. The electromechanical model is then validated against the experimental results obtained from Pt-and Ag-IPMC actuators under various excitation voltages. The good agreement between the electromechanical model and the actuators shows that the analytical electromechanical model can accurately describe the large nonlinear quasi-static deflection behavior of IPMC actuators.